Pail supporting device for ladders



Sep 33 WM W. c. ASSURE 3,272,47

FAIL SUPPORTING DEVICE FOR LADDERS Filed Nov. lO, 1964 INVENTOR. M//LUA/Vf C. KA SSL/5E United States Patent O 3,272,467 IAlL SUPPORTINGDEVICE FOR LADDERS William C. Kassube, 1337 Fargo, Chicago, Ill. FiledNov. 10, 1964-, Ser. No. 410,175 2 Claims. (Cl. 248-211) This inventionrelates to a pail supporting device for use on ladders.

Various devices have Ibeen known and used heretofore for supportingpails upon ladders including pails intended for holding paint, windowcleaning compositions, and the like. However, one of the problemsexperienced in the use of such prior pail supporting devices for laddershas been the fact that they have been constructed in such a manner andhave been used in such a way as to project over and cover a part of theupper foot tread surface of one of `the horizontal rungs on the ladderwith the result that they have thereby tended to create a hazard to theworker moving up an-d down the ladder and stepping upon that portion ofthe lpail supporting device projecting over the upper foot tread surfaceof one of the rungs of the ladder.

Another difliculty experienced in the use of prior pail supportingdevices for ladders has been the fact that they have commonly tended tobe loosely mounted upon the ladder with the result that `they have had atendency to slip and thereby create a hazard to the worker and loss ofthe contents of the pail.

An object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved pailsupporting device for ladders which is so designed, constructed and usedthat it does not interfere with the foot tread surface on the rung ofthe ladder adjacent to which it is mounted in use and hence leaves thefoot tread surface of Ithe ladder rung free and unencumbered by anyportion of the new pail supporting device, thereby eliminating a hazardexperienced in the use of prior pail supporting devices for ladders.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improvedpail supporting device Ifor ladders which is so designed, constructedand used that it will support a pail rmly suspended from one of the siderails of the ladder adjacent outer side thereof and without any tendencyto slip or move from its intended position.

An additional object of the present invention is to provide a new andimproved pail supporting device for ladders which is relatively simpleand economical in construction and which may -be formed from singlepiece of relatively heavy steel wire or like material by a bendingoperation.

Other and further objects will appear hereinafter.

In the drawings:

FIG. l is a front elevational View showing the new pail supportingdevice attached to a ladder;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view as seen from the right hand side inFIG. l;

FIG. 3 is a sectional top plan View showing the new pail supportingdevice attached to a ladder as in FIGS. l and 2; and

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the pail supporting device for ladders.

An improved embodiment of the new pail supporting device for lad-ders isillustrated in the drawing, wherein it is generally indicated at 10, andis shown as being used with a ladder 11 which includes side rails 12 andtransversely extending rungs 13 extending between and attached to theside rails 12. Likewise, as shown in the drawing, the new pailsupporting device is shown as being used to support a pail 14 having abail portion 15, with the bail portion y14-15 disposed at one side ofone of the side rails 12 of the ladder 11.

As best shown in FIG. 4, the new pail supporting device ICC 10, is`formed from a single piece of relatively heavy bendable steel wire, orlike material, and includes a rigid body `16 which is generally U-shapedin forrn and which includes a pair of substantially parallel arms 17 and18 which are interconnected by a bight portion 19. The arm 18 hasinwardly turned outer end portion 20, which ex tends inwardly towardlthe other arm 17, and somewhat upwardly out of the plane of the body16, for a purpose which will be pointed out presently.

The arm 17 has integrally connected thereto, by a reversely bent portion22, an upper arm portion 21 which extends reversely back upon the arm17, above the latter, and generally parallel thereto, throughout a partof the extent of the arm 17` This upper arm portion 21 terminates in andimerges into an offset portion 23 which extends generallyright-angularly relative to the arm 17 and the upper arm 18 and thisoffset portion 23 terminates in a hook-shaped portion 24 so that theparts 23-24 provide a generally hook-shaped element for the receptionofthe bail portion 15 of the pail 14.

In the use of the new =pail supporting device 10 the same may be mountedupon one of the side rails 12 of the ladder 11 by slipping the generallyU-shaped body thereof rearwardly over the ladder rail y12 so that thearrn 13 embraces or closely hugs the inner side wall surface 25 of theside rail 12 of the ladder, above one of the rungs 13, and so that thearm 17 embraces 4the outer side wall surface 26 of vthe side rail 12 ofthe ladder, and so that the bight portion 19 embraces the front orforward end wall surface 27 of the side rail 12 of the ladder, as bestshown in FIG. 3.

It will be noted that when the new pail supporting device 10 is thusinserted into position of use upon and relative to the side rail 12 ofthe ladder 11 the bight portion 19 thereof extends at an acuate anglerelative to the horizontal across the front surface 27 of the side rail12 of the ladder and the inwardly angled end portion 20 of the inner arm18 projects inwardly from the inner end wall surface 28 of the ladderrail 12 and extends partially across the inner end wall surface 28thereof. At the same time, the upper arm 21 and the hookshaped element23-24 are disposed above the plane of the arm 17 of the pail supportingdevice 1()` with the hook-shaped element 23-24 inclined somewhatangularly downwardly in a direction generally parallel to the plane ofthe bight portion 19 so as to receive and support the bail portion 14 ofthe pail 15, and with the pail 15 disposed against the side rail 12 ofthe ladder, as shown in FIGS. l and 2.

When the new pail supporting device 10 lis thus disposed in iposition ofuse upon the ladder 11 the inner arm 18 closely embraces the inner sidewall surface 25 of the ladder rail 12, above one of the rungs 13, andthus does not encumber the ladder rail 12, and does not encumber thefoot tread surface of the rung 13, thus leaving the latter free as theworker moves up and down the ladder, thereby overcoming a diicultyexperienced in the use of prior pail supporting devices for ladders.

It Iwill likewise be noted that when the weight of the pail 14-15 andits contents are suspended from the hookshaped element 23-24 the weightthereof acts, through the arms 21 and 17 to urge the arms 17 and 18 intoclose contact with the side rail surfaces 26 and 25, respectively, ofthe ladder rail 12 while, at the same time, the inwardly and upwardlyextending end portion 26 of the leg 1S engages the inner end wallsurface 28 of the rail 12 and prevents iforward or outward slipping ofthe new pail supporting device 10 and thus retains the same firmly inposition of use upon the ladder rail 12.

It will thus be seen from the foregoing description, considered inconjunction with the accompanying drawing, that the present inventionprovides a new and improved pail supporting device for ladders havingthe desirable advantages and characteristics and accomplishing itsintende-d objects including -those hereinbefore pointed out and otherswhich are inherent in the invention.

Iclaim: 1. A pail supporting device ifor use with ladders of the `typewhich includes spaced parallel la-dder rails having transverselyextending rungs extending therebetween and -connected thereto, and inwhich each of said ladder rails includes substantially parallel innerand outer side wall surfaces and substantially parallel front and rearend wall surfaces, said pail supporting device comprising (a) agenerally U-shaped body member including (b) spaced substantiallyparallel arms interconnected by a bight portion extending therebetweenand deininga plane, one of said arms having (c) a reversely bent portionbent back upon itself and extending substantially parallel there-toabove the said one arm, said Ireversely bent back portion having (d) anoffset end portion extending generally rightangularly therefrom betweenthe ends of the said one arm and .laterally away from the latter, saidoffset end portion terminating in (e) la hook-shaped element formed byan integral part of the said laterally extending offset portion andlying above said one arm of said generally U-shaped body member and theother one of said arms terminating in an angled end portion.

Z. A lpail supporting device for ladders, as dened in -olaim 1 in whichthe said angled end portion of the said other one of said a-rms of saidgenerally U-shaped body member extends upwardly out of said plane of thesaid arms.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 873,488 l2/l907De Beaumont et al. 248--303 1,597,095 8/1926 Martinsen 248-210 2,048,4307/1936 Corrello 248--210 3,064,933 11/1962 Brasty 24S-230 FOREIGNPATENTS 86,904 2/1959 Denmark.

CLAUDE A. LE ROY, Primary Exmniner.

R. P. SEITTER, Assistant Examiner.

1. A PAIL SUPPORTING DEVICE FOR USE WITH LADDERS OF THE TYPE WHICHINCLUDES SPACED PARALLEL LADDER RAILS HAVING TRANSVERSELY EXTENDINGRUNGS EXTENDING THEREBETWEEN AND CONNECTED THERETO, AND IN WHICH EACH OFSAID LADDER RAILS INCLUDES SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL INNER AND OUTER SIDEWALL SURFACES AND SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL FRONT AND REAR END WALLSURFACES, SAID PAIL SUPPORTING DEVICE COMPRISING (A) A GENERALLYU-SHAPED BODY MEMBER INCLUDING (B) SPACED SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL ARMSINTERCONNECTED BY A BIGHT PORTION EXTENDING THEREBETWEEN AND DEFINING APLANE, ONE OF SAID ARMS HAVING (C) A REVERSELY BENT PORTION BENT BACKUPON ITSELF AND EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL THERETO ABOVE THE SAIDONE ARM, SAID REVERSELY BENT BACK PORTION HAVING (D) AN OFFSET ENDPORTION EXTENDING GENERALLY RIGHTANGULARLY THEREFROM BETWEEN THE ENDS OFTHE SAID ONE ARM AND LATERALLY AWAY FROM THE LATTER, SAID OFFSET ENDPORTION TERMINATING IN (E) A HOOK-SHAPED ELEMENT FORMED BY AN INTEGRALPART OF THE SAID LATERALLY EXTENDING OFFSET PORTION AND LYING ABOVE SAIDONE ARM OF SAID GENERALLY U-SHAPED BODY MEMBER AND THE OTHER ONE OF SAIDARMS TERMINATING IN AN ANGLED END PORTION.